Regulating dropper



Jan. 31, 1933. E. M. AlKMAN 1,895,436

REGULATING DROPPER Filed Nov. 3, 1930 j INVENTOR.

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o 1 my Patented Jan. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES EVERETT M. AIRMAN, OFINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA REGULATING DROPPER Application filed November Thisinvention relates to a combination perforator and valve and dropper foran imperforate perforative seal for a liquid container.

It is the practice to merchandise ether for anaesthetic purposes as aliquid in a container which is permanently sealed and provided with aperforative seal. It is the practice to use a safety pin and perforatethe seal at two places, one to permit air to enter the container and theother to permit the liquid to drip therefrom, the air opening being torelieve the back pressure or vacuum in the container and permit the freedropping of the liquid.

The opening formed by a safety pin, or the like, is relatively smallsize. It is objectionable to use any of the operating instruments,because these are sterilized, even though their use as a can openermight not injure them. hen holes are initially made in the aforesaidmanner, during an operation there is little or no regulation possibleand there is little or no directional discharge from the container.

The chief object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a devicethat may be readiiy adjusted to a liquid container and so arranged thatthe anaesthetist may hold the container in one hand and use his forefinger of the said hand for regulating the flow of the liquid from thecontainer and which is also adapted for directional discharge. Thedevice is so arranged also that progressive application of pressuresufiicient for perforation will progressively increase the openings fora greater discharge, While a lighter pressure thereon will not enlargethe openings but will serve to partially seal the same, thus acting asan obstruction to the free flow of liquid should the rate of flow beinitially greater than that desired.

The chief feature of the invention consists in the unitary constructionof a device adapted to accomplish the foregoing object.

The full nature of the invention Will be understood from theaccompanying drawing and the following description and claims In thedrawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the operatorshand, the liquid 3, 1930. Serial No. 492,923;

container and the device applied thereto and with the fore finger of theoperator in control position.

F ig..2 is a perspective view of the devic removed from the container,

Fig. 3 is a central sectional view through the container mouth, seal andthe device in operative position.

In the drawing 10 indicates a liquid container suitable for containingether and the like, which is normally a liquid but which readilyvaporizes under atmospheric conditions. 7 The container 10 has the top11 and the neck 12. The open end in the neck 12 is flared outwardly andextending across the mouth thereof and embracing said flared end of theneck is an imperforate perforative seal 13. This constitutes thestandard ether container. To permit the discharge of the ether drop bydrop, as required for anaesthetic purposes, there is provided an airhole 14 and a liquid discharge or pouring hole 15. This, as heretoforeset forth, is usually performed by jabbing a safety pin at oppositesides of the seal and said safety pin readily passes H therethrough.

The present invention includes an attachinent having a body portion 18provided with barbs 16 and 17, preferably tapered, sawtooth, or wedgeshaped and in spaced rela- 0 tion. The supporting portion 18 is extendedas at 19. and forms a standard or support which terminates in theembracing arms 20, the same including outwardly turned free ends 21. Asinitially fashioned, the support 19 and the barb body supporting portion18 extend at an angle of about 150 degrees.

The metal constituting the device is preferably readily deformable andbends when pressure is applied to the'portion 18 after a the arms 20have embraced the neck 12 of the container for mounting the device uponthe container. Continued pressure causes the barbs 16 and 17 toperforate the seal 13 to provide air opening 14 and the pouring open- 9ing 15. Continued pressure serves to enlarge said openings to thedesired degree and if the said enlargement is excessive or more thanthat desired, slight pressure upon the body portion 18 will maintain thebarbs in the enlarged openings thus formed and serve to reduce theeffective area thereof. The liquid which discharges from opening 15 runsout along the tooth 17 and is discharged drop by drop from the dropperextension 22 of the body portion 18. Thus, directional discharge may beobtained through the employment of the aforesaid device.

The device has a further advantage that should the anaesthetist removehis finger from the device, it will not become detached from thecontainer but will remain thereon and thus there is no danger of thedevice falling into the patients mouth during the anzesthetizing of thepatient should the mask used therein become displaced.

Another advantage inherent in the device is that it may be constructedof relative thin sheet metal and at a single punching and formingoperation. In fact, the cost of the attachment is so slight that one canbe supplied with every container in much the same fashion that wire corkpullers are supplied with other medicine containers.

The invention claimed is 1. An attachment mountable on therestricted'neck of a container having a perforatable imperforate mouthseal, comprising a pair of substantially encircling neck anchoring arms,an extension therefrom, seal puncturing means carried thereby and adropper constituting an extension of the first mentioned extension.

2. An attachment mountable on the restricted neck of a container havinga perforatable imperforate mouth seal, comprising a pair ofsubstantially encircling neck anchoring arms, an extension therefrom, apair of seal puncturing wedge shaped members carried thereby, and adropper constituting an extension of the first mentioned extension.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

EVERETT M. AIKMAN.

